Nominees to Missouri Board of Education could be banned from serving after Senate action

BRANSON MO NEWS: JEFFERSON CITY • The Missouri Senate was poised to ban five people from serving on the state Board of Education for life after a quiet procedural maneuver moments before senators adjourned Monday evening.Because Greitens made the five appointments when the Legislature was not in session, the nominees — Eddy Justice, John D. Russell, Marvin R. Jungmeyer, Jennifer W. Edwards and Eric Teeman — did not need Senate approval before casting the controversial votes.

In January, Greitens withdrew the nominees and reappointed them during the legislative session to give senators more time to consider them. That meant the nominees were no longer on the board and needed Senate confirmation to return to their positions.If the nominees aren’t confirmed or withdrawn by the end of work for the regular legislative session on Friday, they would be barred for life from the board that oversees Missouri’s K-12 public schools.In likely anticipation of defeat, and with time ticking before the Legislature’s adjournment, Greitens on Friday wrote to the Senate that the five nominees had withdrawn their names from consideration.But on the Senate floor on Monday, Sen. Gary Romine, R-Farmington, objected to Greitens’ message being read aloud and being printed in the Senate journal. He also moved that the letter be sent back to Greitens.No senator challenged Romine as the body wrapped up its business for the night.Article IV Section 51 of the Missouri Constitution states that if the Senate does not approve a nominee, “that person shall not be reappointed by the governor to the same office or position.”

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Romine said after adjournment that he wants to prevent Greitens from renaming the candidates after the Legislature adjourns on Friday.”My intention is to not have them coming back as future candidates,” he said.Parker Briden, Greitens’ spokesman, did …